For a number of years, telephonic communication primarily involved singular conversations between individual persons. However in recent years, the applications and uses for telephonic communication have radically expanded. Currently, telephone facilities are widely used to communicate digital information in conjunction with various forms of computer apparatus. In a related context, fully automated central station equipment has been developed for effectively communicating with persons calling to: receive information, provide statistical data or even consummate various transactions.
Another area of expanded telephonic communication involves techniques for variously interfacing persons. For example, in contemporary telephone systems, a variety of conference call techniques and caller selection operations can be executed at an individual telephone terminal. Also, push buttons on telephone keyboards have been utilized to implement secondary connections as desired by a caller. However, in spite of various prior telephonic developments, a need has been recognized for further expansion in multiple party telephonic communication and particularly with regard to systems affording flexibility and control, and with the capability to interface a large number of remote terminals, e.g. thousands, as for example to receive information. Thus, the present invention enables vastly expanded telephonic communication, as to inform, entertain or poll a multitude of people, as per pending Application Ser. No. 194,258, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,739.
In general, the present invention may be embodied to implement and control interfaces through a telephone network between a primary terminal and a large number of remote terminals. Typically, the interfaces will involve unidirectional communication flowing from the primary terminal to a multitude of remote terminals. However, limited bilateral communication may be provided for a few of the remote terminals. To consider an exemplary operation, a personage at the primary terminal might report "live" to a large, select group of individuals at remote terminals. Select bilateral conversations also could be communicated to the listening group. Furthermore, digital data may be collected from the remote terminals as in polling applications. The data would be formulated at the remote terminals by the telephone push buttons.
In accordance with the present invention, a selection structure screens individual terminals during a preliminary engagement phase of establishing communication with the multitude of people. During the engagement period, persons at individual terminals can be greeted, then qualified on the basis of digital communication provided from the individual terminals via the telephone touch keyboard.
As the engagement period proceeds, a growing group of qualified terminals are bridged for gang communication to receive call status information collectively. The group is thus synchronized preparatory to the live communication when the switching apparatus unilaterally couples the qualified group of terminals to the primary telephone terminal. Variations may then accommodate some bilateral communication, for example to enable limited conversations or polling.